MARINERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT, CLOSE GAP WITH GROWLERS

PORTLAND, ME – March 22, 2024 – With two goals in the first and two in the third, the Maine Mariners topped the Newfoundland Growlers 4-3 on Friday night at the Cross Insurance Arena, extending their win streak to four games, and five on home ice. The Mariners moved above .500 for the first time this season, and closed within one point of the Growlers for third place in the North Division playoff race.

The Mariners jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period on a pair of goals by Brooklyn Kalmikov. The opening goal came at 9:40, as Kalmikov led the rush down the right side, fed the trailing Andrew Peski, and deposited a return pass into an open net. A little over four minutes later, it was Kalmikov’s linemates setting up his second goal. Xander Lamppa led Cam Askew into the zone, and Askew swung a pass across to Kalmikov at the right of Growler goaltender Vyacheslav Peksa to make it 2-0, which was the score after one period.

The middle frame belonged to Newfoundland as they boasted a 13-1 shot advantage. The Growlers broke through at 4:26 on the power play when Tyler Weiss let a wrister go from the left side that beat Brad Arvanitis. With the help of Arvanitis, the Mariners managed to escape the period still holding a 2-1 lead.

Lamppa’s first professional goal gave the Mariners insurance when his backhander went up over Peksa’s shoulder at 5:21 of the third period. Less than four minutes later, Owen Pederson’s one-time blast from the high slot stretched the lead to three goals. A goal by Newfoundland’s Mathieu Gosselin in his first professional game cut the deficit back to two at 10:33. After an Ethan Ritchie tripping penalty, Jackson Berezowski scored Newfoundland’s second power play goal of the game with just 51 seconds to play, but the Mariners were able to ice the remainder of the time and escape with the 4-3 win.

Brad Arvanitis made 28 saves to earn his 16^th victory of the season. Peksa stopped 23 of 27 in defeat.

The Mariners (27-26-7-0) continue the Three Dollar Deweys “Threekend” on Saturday night with a 6 PM faceoff against Newfoundland once again. It’s Racing Night, presented by Maine Recon, featuring the final specialty jersey of the season. The pregame block party has been cancelled due to the weather forecast. Single game tickets for all regular season home games are on sale at MarinersOfMaine.com or at the Hammond Lumber Company Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena. More information on ticket packages and group discounts can be found by calling 833-GO-MAINE or by visiting the Mariners front office at 94 Free St. in Portland.